Toronto Blue Jays' Brett Lawrie back to the DL with an oblique strain

The Toronto Blue Jays placed third baseman Brett Lawrie on the disabled list with an oblique strain on Thursday.

Lawrie left the Blue Jays’ game early on Wednesday and was told he would be out three to six weeks, according to The Star. Lawrie suffered the same left oblique strain back in 2012. The Blue Jays announced that Lawrie’s MRI results were sent to the team’s Florida doctors for comparison purposes, a possible sign that this oblique strain could be worse than first diagnosed.

“We’re trying to focus on winning the division,” manager John Gibbons said of his club, which is competing for a wild-card spot and trails the first-place Baltimore Orioles by four games.

The Blue Jays have been injury-plagued this year with Lawrie missing even more time now after suffering a broken finger earlier in the year and Adam Lind and Edwin Encarnacion both missing significant time this season as they chase the American League East leading O’s.

Steve Tolleson, who has been on the paternity list, will return with the team on August 8 as the probable replacement for Lawrie, according to SB Nation.